Twilight Fan fiction
Transitionals
Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Twilight. I do use some sentences directly from the book, I don't own them. They were originally and forever owned by Stephenie Meyer.
I'll be honesty, after the last chapter, I was one hundred percent dreading this chapter. I hope it still holds up to how the rest of the story is, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.
I would like to dedicate this chapter to all of the people who are still reading this fan fiction.
Chapter 11
Edward's POV
"Okay, before we begin, I do have one request." We all froze at Bella's nervous comment. We were all worried about what she wanted.
'She can't be backing out now, she's already told us her life story, basically. Maybe she's just nervous about our questions.' Emmett.
'Surely she knows better than to ask us to leave all of this for her to deal with alone. It's got to be something else, Bella knows we're not going to leave her and the girls alone from now on.' Rose glanced at the two little girls lovingly.
'Maybe it isn't as bad as we're thinking it is.' Esme thought hopefully; worried that Bella was going to take the girls and leave.
'Knowing how Bella feels about what happened to her family, we'll have to be careful with the questions we ask.' Carlisle, like Emmett was thinking that Bella was worried about our questions.
'Bella's feeling stressed out, but I think she's still willing to talk with us.' I nodded in Jasper's direction, acknowledging his silent words.
Alice sighed after checking the future. 'It's okay, she's not trying to get out of the rest of the talk.'
"Of course Bella, what is your request?" Carlisle replied encouragingly.
Bella nodded thankfully. "While I might have a little more advanced brain than a human it's nowhere near a vampire's,"
'This is getting so weird. Her brain is already more advanced?' I tried to block Emmett's excited thoughts out and continue to listen to Bella's request.
"so if we could try to keep this a little organized, I would appreciate it. If my thoughts have to jump from topic to topic it will make this conversation harder on me."
'That's fair.' Alice.
'Poor Bella.' Esme.
'Some order, that's all she wants.' Rose sighed with relief.
'Trying to organize our questions would be beneficial for all of us.' Jasper.
I gently took Bella's hand and squeezed it comfortingly; letting her know I understood.
Carlisle spared each of us a glance. "Perhaps we should discuss how we want to go about our line of questioning?"
We all nodded in agreement.
Esme turned her attention to Bella. "What exactly would be easiest on you dear?
"It's easier if we can stay on one topic before moving onto the next. I understand though that some topics can spark another, quite easily." Bella answered after a second of thought.
We all nodded again. Our list of questions grew with every new thing Bella mentioned.
'That's an understatement.' Rose.
'We've already had that happen.' Emmett.
'We will all be coming up with more questions then what we have now. Just a heads up Edward, there won't be time for all of our questions. Some will have to wait until later.' Alice.
'Bella makes an excellent point.' Jasper.
'That sounds like a great idea.' Esme.
'We should try to keep the questions for today pertaining to the basics of what we need to know to help Bella and the girls.' I agreed with Carlisle, but I had a feeling we might get of topic a couple of times.
Bella sighed. "Is there any one topic that you all really want to talk about?"
A growl built in my chest but I managed to keep it there as I thought over what I wanted to talk about. The Hunters, the Undermining, anything that could hurt her, I'd be fine with starting with any of those topics. My family though had another idea. I sighed. "They're, well, actually we all are curious about transitionals."
"Okay, well let's start with that, and see where it leads."
Silence fell on the group, all of us waiting for someone else to start.
"How many different transitional creatures are there?" Carlisle finally asked.
Bella shrugged while Anna giggled behind her hands. "No one really knows." Bella shrugged again and blushed. "In theory I guess there could be a transitional creature for every type of mythical being there is."
'That would be amazing.' Carlisle.
'Could you imagine all those humans turning into mythical creatures? It makes you wonder how many people are transitional creatures. There could be hundreds, thousands, maybe more.' Jasper.
"The most common as I said are vampires…"
'Of course because our kind is awesome.' Emmett.
"…but then the next would be werewolves, sirens, and warlocks."
'Why did Werewolves have to be next?' I had to agree with Rose. Werewolves were strong, short tempered, volatile creatures. They were dangerous enough, without adding to their numbers thanks to transitional creatures.
'They must not survive the transition any better than the vampires. Are there any transitional creatures as a group that have a better chance of surviving?' Alice.
'All those poor humans, their lives are just turned upside down.' Esme.
"Do you know what causes someone to be a transitional creature?" Carlisle asked eagerly. He clarified his question, after Bella just stared at him for a minute. "Is it a gene that determines which transitional creature you are?"
"Well," Bella's face twisted in thought, "I know it has to do with our genetic makeup. Unfortunately that's as far as I can go with the other transitional creatures."
None of us missed what she had implied.
Carlisle asked the question we were all thinking. "But you do know about transitionals?"
Bella's face lit up with a grin. "Yes I do. With a transitional it's all about the chromosomal pairs. We're born with twenty five."
Twenty five pairs, to think, there really wasn't anything I could do.
'Twenty five chromosomal pairs, the exact amount vampires have. So that might be the same for the other transitional creatures.' Carlisle.
'Ha! You had no chance Edward, Bella's always meant to be one of us.' Alice.
'That's crazy.' Emmett.
'This is perfect, Bella was always meant to be one of us, from the very beginning.' Esme.
Jasper chuckled softly. 'You need to tone down the happiness there Edward.'
My control on my emotions was shot. I was struggling to keep in my worries and anger, I wasn't going to bother keeping my happiness in check. I was going to get to keep Bella forever.
"The same as vampires." Rose spoke her thought aloud.
Bella stiffened slightly in my arms. She was staring in slight surprise as she watched Rose playing with Cissy. She must have thought Rose was focused solely on the baby.
She shook off her surprise almost instantly. "Well it is what we're turning into."
The room was filled with all of our carefree laughter. It felt good, and I'm glad Bella felt like she could tease and joke around with my family.
Once we had all calmed down, Esme cleared her throat, to get Bella's attention. "Are your parents transitionals too?" She asked once Bella had turned to her.
"No my parents are very much human." Bella paused for a second. "Well, humans with powers; what with my mom and her physical shield while dad has his mental shield. They are from the other world after all."
'I wonder how parents of a transitional creature handle the change in their child.' Esme.
'So whatever causes a transitional creature to be, isn't passed down from the different generations.' Carlisle.
'What would it have been like to grow up in the other world?' Alice.
'Having powers probably helped with parenting.' Rose.
'I was born in the wrong world.' Emmett.
"You inherited both of your parents' powers." Jasper added his question silently knowing it could wait for another day. 'Do all the children inherit their powers from their parents?
"Yeah, it's one of the reasons why I need to make the transition last as long as I can." Bella replied.
"Why exactly is it important to have a long transition?" Alice asked, while her head turned to the side in question. "I know you said the longer the transition the easier it is to adjust to your vampire life, but why is that, exactly?"
It sure seemed like it would be safer for Bella to get the transition over with and done. She'd be stronger as a vampire.
Bella's answer cleared everything up for us. "It's all about control. Transitionals are stronger than normal newborn vampires…"
Jasper sighed silently. 'If she's going to be stronger than a new born we're going to have to be extremely careful. Her strength could make it harder for us to help her with her thirst.'
'Bella's going to be so much fun once she's a new born.' Emmett.
'Don't worry Edward with Jasper's help we'll be able to handle anything that Bella can throw at us. We won't let her be an out of control new born.' Alice.
'If Bella's going to be stronger than a normal new born than she might end up being as strong as Emmett was. That's not going to be fun to deal with. Then again if I'm going to be staying with the girls while she's learning to control her thirst, I won't have to worry about that. Maybe she'll have a little better control than Emmett did.' Rose.
'Poor Bella, the new born year is always the most difficult.' Esme.
'We'll be able to help Bella, regardless of how strong she is. If we could handle Emmett, I'm sure we can help Bella.' Carlisle.
I had to agree, we survived Emmett's first year, and this time around we'd have three more vampires to help us out.
"…and ones that are gifted have that extra issue they have to deal with."
'Of course.' Emmett.
"The more time we have to work on control while still human, the better control we have as vampires. And for people like me, the more in control of our powers we are before, they'll be easier to use later."
'That makes sense, and hopefully that means Bella won't have such a hard time with her strength as Emmett did.' Rose.
'That explains why Bella works so hard.' Esme.
Jasper rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward, waiting for Bella to meet his gaze. "As the transition continues your percentage increases right?"
Bella nodded and he continued. "So, since you're transitioning into one of us, does that mean you'll get vampire abilities throughout the transition?"
Vampire abilities with human control, I couldn't help panicking at that thought.
'That would be fun.' Alice.
'Interesting thought.' Carlisle.
"Good question. The transition gradually increases my human abilities. So while I'm still human I'll never have full vampire abilities but it leads up to it."
I mentally sighed with relief.
'Awe, that's not fair, she has to wait.' Emmett.
'How gradually, is gradually.' Esme.
'It's probably for the best that she won't have full vampire abilities until she's fully one of us.' Rose.
Jasper nodded. 'That will help her get accustomed to her new abilities. That should help make her new born year a little easier.' "So what has already been increased?"
I watched as Bella thought over Jasper's question. It didn't take very long. "All of my senses are better than humans'. My eyesight is definitely better than twenty twenty vision, my other senses though, if I want to be able to use their more sharpened versions I have to focus on them solely."
I couldn't imagine not being able to use all of my heightened senses at the same time. Having to only focus on one; that would be a pain.
'Sight is clearly the dominant sense.' Carlisle.
'I'm sure having her sight stronger than normal helps her stay out of trouble.' Esme.
'If Bella can see better than a human, than... But she hasn't given any indication that she can see any of my scars. So her sight most not be that strong yet.' Jasper.
'Does the sight always get stronger first or does it differ with each person?' Rose.
'Does that mean if she just focused on her hearing that she'd be able to hear us talking outside of human hearing range?' Emmett.
Alice stared at Bella in confusion. 'I think you need to clarify that?'
Bella understood Alice's silent question. "So normally I just have normal hearing, but if I focus just on my hearing it's better than a human's."
Only better than a human, so her senses aren't as strong as ours yet.
'I wonder if Bella has been keeping records of all the changes, or if she just uses her information box?' Carlisle.
'Yes! Bella would so make an awesome spy.' Emmett.
'Bella's all of a sudden feeling guilty. Has she been spying on us?' Jasper.
'All of this is so overwhelming. How does Bella keep all of this information straight?' Esme.
'I think I'd prefer having my hearing stronger than my sight, but then again it's probably for the best that Bella's hearing isn't as good.' Rose.
'That is so cool.' Alice.
'You've seen Auntie when she's used her hearing.' Anna didn't glance over at me so I knew she didn't want Bella to know about this conversation.
I didn't let on that I had heard anything.
'While we waited for the doctor car.'
Doctor car? An image of the ambulance that had taken them to the hospital after the car crash, entered my mind. Oh, that's what she meant. But when had Bella used her extra hearing.
'Auntie was listening to you guys talk. That's why she groaned. She listened too long.' Anna's thoughts went back to playing with Rose.
So straining to focus on her other senses can cause Bella pain.
"What else?" Alice's excitement broke my train of thought.
"Well there's a little more room in my brain, and I can process stuff easier. That's it as far as I know right now. I know my speed is trying to increase."
'Sweet, Bella with super speed, sounds like fun.' Emmett.
'Bella doesn't seem excited about the possibility of increasing her speed.' Jasper.
'Bella and super speed, that can't be good, she's far too clumsy.' I couldn't help but agree with Rose. Bella and speed couldn't be a good thing, not while she was still human.
'That little box is incredibly useful, especially with how it can tell her what is getting ready to change.' Alice.
'I would have assumed that she would have gotten her strength before her speed. Strength would be of more use to her, definitely.' Esme.
"How do you know?" Carlisle asked excitedly, speaking his thought allowed.
Bella turned to Carlisle and it was then that a noticed the flash in her eyes. Bella was actually enjoying discussing this with us. "Each of our abilities have clues to when the vampire side starts gaining more of the control. Basically what happens is the human side and the vampire side kinda fight over control."
'Talk about an inner battle.' Emmett.
'The human side probably doesn't last very long in a fight like that. Then again with Bella, she seems to have more control with her transition.' Jasper.
'That fight can't last long.' Alice.
'I wonder, how long can the human side last against the vampire side?" Rose.
'That doesn't sound like any fun. It sounds dangerous.' Esme.
'That could be a problem, especially whenever her strength comes in.' Carlisle.
Strength? I couldn't help thinking that speed would be the most challenging of the two; what with Bella's troubling balance.
Bella's next bit of explanation really put more of the puzzle pieces together. "With speed it's called the skipping affect. Both sides trying to control motion, makes the transitional very clumsy."
"So that's why you can't walk on a flat surface," Emmett laughed uproariously.
Now Bella's clumsiness made sense.
Jasper, Alice, Rose, and I tried hard not to laugh at the irony of Bella's situation; but it was hard because Anna thought it was funny, and she looked silly trying to hide her laughter.
Carlisle and Esme though were trying hard not to laugh at the glare Bella had aimed at Emmett. He had yet to notice it since he was still laughing. It could almost rival one of the ones Rose would give him from time to time.
Emmett's laughter stopped suddenly. "Hey, didn't you say that accidents caused by the transition killed some of the transitionals?"
"What sort of accidents?" I asked before anyone else could.
'Relax Edward, we all will help keep her safe, even from herself.' Jasper sent me a wave of calm.
Bella shifted on my lap, meeting my gaze. "Well there's clumsiness, which could be a problem. Running will be a problem, even with my improved eyesight, the faster I go the more my sight will blur, that's normal for humans."
We were going to have to watch Bella carefully. If her clumsiness was an indicator for speed, then her vampire side could take over her speed sooner rather than later. Then again I had no more plans to leave Bella, so that shouldn't be a problem.
'That explains why Bella wasn't excited about her coming speed.' Jasper.
'Hopefully I'll be able to see whenever Bella's vampire side takes over her mobility.' Alice.
'Never mind, Bella and speed is definitely not a good thing.' Emmett.
'It's interesting to say the least, but we'll definitely have to stay alert for whenever the times comes.' Carlisle.
'That sounds awful. I couldn't imagine practically being blind, no matter if it was only temporary.' Esme.
"Is running a necessity?" Rose added in her mind, 'wouldn't it just be easier to wait until after she's become one of us?'
Bella paused, her face was blank, making it impossible for me to tell if she was thinking about my sister's question, or something else entirely. "Eventually I'll have to start working with my speed, the same thing for my strength."
'So her strength could be a problem too.' Emmett.
'How did Bella plan to deal with working on her speed on her own, if she couldn't see?' Rose.
'Bella sounds worried.' Esme.
'I don't know how she planned on doing any of this on her own, but we will be able to help her through this. So you can relax Edward.' I subtly acknowledged Carlisle's words and tried to relax. I had to have been driving Jasper crazy.
'It'll be interesting to try to help Bella with her new abilities.' Jasper.
'Well, no one said life was easy, but we will all be here to help Bella. Surely the seven of us can keep her from being a danger to herself.' Alice.
Carlisle and Alice were right, the seven of us could take care of Bella. I wouldn't let her hurt herself, none of us would.
Bella shrugged tiredly. "It's all about control. Lack of control can cause accidents."
We wouldn't allow that.
'That makes sense.' Jasper.
'Nothing appears easy about Bella's life.' Emmett.
Esme sighed silently. 'We know all about lack of control. It may be a different situation but the concept is still the same.'
'Ugh, no offense but it sounds like you, Jasper, and Bella need to start a support group and talk about your self-loathing and fears of lack of control.' I tried to ignore Rose's thought but she laughed in her thoughts and continued. 'Alice could be your guys' therapist, but you wouldn't be able to tell Emmett otherwise he'd volunteer for the job.' An image of Rose rolling on the floor laughing, and I hurried to try to block her mind.
'I've got a feeling Bella's no longer talking about her speed or strength.' Carlisle.
"Nothing we can't handle," Alice grinned at Bella. Her thoughts echoing her words to make a point for me.
I thought about reminding Alice later about how being over confident could lead to making mistakes, that way she would see the conversation, and we could have it now.
She rolled her eyes at me. 'I'm not being over confident, I'm just stating the fact that if we pay attention and note when Bella needs our help we should have no trouble keeping her safe.'
Jasper broke up our silent argument with another question for Bella. "So what percentage are you at?"
The emotions on Bella's face changed from annoyance, defiance, to downright stubborn, worry, a quick flash of sheepishness, and finally settled to calm blankness. "The last time I checked I was thirty nine point eight percent vampire."
'Bella's hiding something, I don't think it's really important, but I can't be sure.' "What percentage would you be at if you let the transition run as it normally would have?" Jasper's gaze never left Bella's.
"Each transition is different since everyone behaves differently."
'So no two transitions are ever alike, intriguing.' Carlisle.
"Every transitional becomes immortal between the ages of eighteen and twenty. The transition though has been known to go beyond those ages though, so that makes it harder to get an average for the percentages."
'So young, age is by far one of the more difficult struggles for our kind to overcome. And as the world continues on, the harder it is for our kind stuck in their teen years to make a life for themselves amongst the humans.' Esme.
Bella shrugged. "Most seventeen year olds though are farther along in the transition than me. Most would be passed the seventy five percent mark, I'd say."
'Whatever Bella's been doing to keep the transition down, it is sure working.' Carlisle.
'That's wonderful. Bella's done a remarkable job.' Esme.
'Okay, that is insane. How did she manage that?' Emmett.
'No one can say that Bella isn't dedicated.' Rose.
'That's an amazing accomplishment. If Bella has kept her percentage that low so far, I can only imagine how long she can keep it down. She's done an excellent job, and she's definitely proud of it.' Jasper.
"How have you kept your percentage so low?!" Alice blurted out the question we all wanted to ask.
My mind was reeling, Bella was truly remarkable.
"There's multiple ways to keep the percentage from increasing." Bella paused, clearly collecting her thoughts. "The biggest one for me is watching my temper. My emotions control my physical shield, and if I get too upset it can set it off. The sudden use of powers can cause an increase. That's also why I need to stay away from danger, since a surprise attack would mean a sudden use of my shield."
'Ah too bad.' Emmett pouted. "So no jumping out in front of you, to try to scare you."
"Emmett McCarty Cullen, how dare you even suggest you were thinking about doing something like that." Esme reprimanded sharply.
"His mommy middle named him." Anna's words came out in a whispered gasp of horror. So softly were the words spoken, that I doubted that she had even realized she had spoken them aloud. A quick check of her thought and I knew that she didn't think she had. And Bella had obviously not heard her speak.
The rest of us had and none of us could hold back our smiles; even though I was the only one who saw Carlisle and Esme's.
'Anna is the most precious little girl I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.' Esme.
"You're in trouble." Anna spoke up and turned to Emmett. She thought better of shaking her little index finger at him to scold him, even though I wish she had.
Alice was rocking with laughter, wishing that Anna would too.
'She is too precious,' Emmett thought before joining us in laughter.
"No Emmett." Bella's laughter came to an end with a deep sigh. "That would raise my percentage, and I couldn't guarantee where you might end up."
I knew my brother well, but despite whatever Bella meant, he wasn't going to get a chance to learn it firsthand.
'Where he might end up?' Esme.
'Is she meaning that figuratively?' Rose.
'Oh I wish he hadn't asked and we could have seen what would have happened. Then again though, it would have raised her percentage.' Alice sighed quietly trying to disguise her laughter.
'Bella seems to think that it would be funny if Emmett would have tried. Bella's going to fit into this family just fine.' Jasper.
Carlisle was laughing in his thought. Thinking along the same lines as Jasper. 'It's good to know that someone might be able to stop Emmett from his pranks.'
If only he knew that Emmett was planning on making Bella and Anna his partners in crime.
Emmett's thoughts were somewhat nervous. "What does that mean?"
My shoulder warmed as the heat of another blush climbed up Bella's neck and face. "Well, when my shield appears suddenly to protect me, it shoots out, and whatever hits it is thrown. Sometimes it's not very far, other times it's quite far. Once again it's about how much control I have."
I had my doubts, but maybe knowing that he could possibly land in the ocean if he frightened Bella, might keep him from pulling pranks on her. Or it could be the complete opposite.
Rose, Jasper, and Alice were laughing silently. Their thoughts coming up with different distances that Emmett could be thrown by Bella's shield.
'Well hopefully Emmett will keep that in mind and he won't bother Bella.' Esme didn't need to worry, Emmett couldn't chase Bella away with his pranks or his teasing. In fact I was sure it wouldn't bother Bella at all. He might embarrass her a little but she'd get him back eventually.
'Bella's shields sound amazing. It will be exciting to see them in action.' Carlisle.
'I knew Bella was going to be fun to have around. That just sounds like a blast.' Emmett.
I ignored Emmett's thoughts, and listened to Bella as she continued with her list of ways to keep her percentage down. "Anything that's dangerous to the transition also causes an increase. Then the biggest one would be controlling my energy, if I have too much energy, it can cause an energy burst. Depending on how much energy was drained thanks to the burst, determines how high the percentage could get."
I couldn't see how an energy burst would be a problem for Bella, she was always so exhausted.
'That doesn't sound good.' Emmett.
'Bella doesn't have to worry about having too much energy, but what about not having enough?' Rose.
'Bella never seems to have enough energy so that shouldn't be a problem.' Jasper.
'Hmm, maybe there are stages where the transitionals' energy fluctuates from too much to too little.' Carlisle.
'From what we've seen, I would hope we don't have to worry about any energy bursts.' Esme.
'I don't understand why Bella would have to worry about that.' Alice attempted to lighten the mood by teasing Bella. "So it doesn't sound entirely too hard to control your percentage."
She let her head shake from one side to the other. "Just three major points to remember. Keep an eye on my energy, control my emotions, and lookout for danger. That's not very hard." Her voice was thick with sarcasm and she couldn't keep a straight face.
Bella was indeed, going to fit into this family just fine.
"And you can check everything about your transition with your information box?" Carlisle glanced at the device curiously.
Bella took the device in her hands. "Yeah, this little thing has made life easier on transitional creatures."
'That's good.' Alice.
'It sure sounds like they could use that. I'm glad they have it.' Esme.
'I wonder who made it, it must be extremely complicated.' Rose.
'That little thing sure is useful.' Emmett.
'Whoever made that definitely had a way with technology, especially for the little device to hold so much information.' Jasper.
'The other worlds technology appears to be years ahead of the human world's.' Carlisle.
I stared at the small circular device, wondering if Bella would be willing to teach us, if not at least me, how to use it.
"Would you mind showing us how it works?" Carlisle like the rest of us wanted to know, but he was prepared to wait until Bella was comfortable with giving out that information. After all, that little box could tell us a lot of information about Bella that was extremely personal. She didn't have to share that information with us, no matter how badly any of us wanted her too.
Bella's reply shocked, and thrilled all of us. "I still have the boxes that my family used. I'll bring them over next time, and show you guys how to use them."
"Sweet!" Emmett exclaimed, while the rest of us nodded in agreement.
'I can't believe Bella's trusting us with something as personal as her own information.' Jasper.
'See, Bella really does trust us.' Emmett.
'Bella's really going to let us have her family's boxes? Give us a direct line to everything we could need to know about her transition?' Rose
'This is going better than I thought it would.' Alice.
'Oh, Bella doesn't realize how much her trust means to us.' Esme.
'We will have an easier time helping Bella work through her transition now. She must trust us, if she's giving us this honor.' Carlisle.
I had to agree as I carefully took the box from Bella and examined it. "Who made this anyway?"
"That would be Grandpa Ray."
"Hey, what happened when Grandpa Ray found out you were a transitional?" Emmett was thinking about how his brotherly way of picking on Bella wouldn't work, and that he needed some fuel that he could pester her with. He was hoping that she wouldn't mind his teasing.
Bella groaned and dropped her head into her hands.
Anna on the other hand started giggling.
I tried comforting Bella by rubbing her back, but she seemed oblivious to the action. "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to."
She caught me off guard by snorting. "Why not? Charlie loves telling that story." She straightened and glared at Emmett in annoyance. "Long story short, I was two, my cousins and I were working with Grandpa Ray in the kitchen, and my cousin cut his hand open. The smell of rust and salt filled the air, and I woke up in the hospital that evening after hitting my head from passing out."
The room was filled with laughter of different magnitudes.
Anna and Emmett were rolling on the floor laughing. Their thoughts focusing on the irony of the situation. In fact every one of us were thinking about the irony of passing out at the smell of blood. Rose was shaking her head and smiling, Jasper and Alice were chuckling softly. Esme and Carlisle were trying very hard not to let Bella see that they thought it was funny, they didn't want to make her feel that they were laughing at her. None of us were laughing at what had happened to her, that wasn't funny at all. Just the fact that someone who was turning into a vampire would faint when they smelled blood was funny. It was just ironic.
I wanted to laugh, and I knew I probably would when I was alone and Bella would never know, but for that moment I tried not to. I wasn't very successful, and I was sure she could probably feel the rumble of laughter against her back.
"Who exactly is Grandpa Ray?" Esme kindly changed the subject.
Bella smiled thankfully. "Grandpa Ray is a vegetarian vampire who has been around for who knows how long. He's not related to my family, he just has everyone call him Grandpa Ray."
So he wasn't Bella's grandfather. I knew that there were parents who had their children's friends call them mom and dad, but I don't think I'd ever hear of any grandparents like that. Obviously Grandpa Ray was like that though, with everybody.
'Sweet, there's someone else like us.' Emmett.
'It would be nice to meet another vampire who shares our diet.' Carlisle.
'It would be nice to meet Grandpa Ray.' Jasper.
'I had always thought that we knew all the vegetarian vampires. I feel so naïve. It's not like we know of every vampire in the world.' Rose.
'I really hope we can meet Grandpa Ray sometime.' Alice.
'Why would he want everyone to call him Grandpa?' Esme.
"Grandpa Ray was changed when he was in his sixties," Bella explained. A small laugh escaped her lips. None of us had to ask what it was about. "His white hair covers his head and most of his face. He's got the bushiest beard and mustache I've ever seen. The funny thing though is he can pass for any age from fifty to a hundred, and he's done that."
'Vampires that were changed when they were older always have an easier time hiding amongst the humans.' Rose.
'I would think that with his powers, he wouldn't want to stay in one place for too long.' Carlisle.
Anna and Bella laughed together, trying to stop, only to start up again. Seeing the two of them like that made me want to meet Grandpa Ray even more.
"The only problem is when he does that he has to pretend to slowly lose his strength with age."
'It's good to see Bella and Anna so happy. The two of them really love Grandpa Ray.' Esme.
'That would be funny to watch. He sounds like he enjoys putting on a good show.' Alice.
'Grandpa Ray sounds like he'd get along well with Emmett.' Jasper.
'I so want to meet Grandpa Ray now.' Emmett thought excitedly. "Grandpa Ray sounds like fun?"
We all agreed. He sounded like someone we would all get along with.
Jasper's thoughts went to Grandpa's Ray's powers. "You said he had the power of knowledge. Can you explain what exactly that is?"
"His power is hard to explain," Bella said.
Jasper shrugged one shoulder lazily. "Just explain to the best of your ability."
Bella twisted the bottom of her top as she thought. "Grandpa Ray can look at something, and his mind just fills with information of what it is how it can be used. If it's an object he can figure it out, determine what made it, what's in it."
'That's incredible.' Emmett.
'I bet that freaked him out the first time that happened after his change. I was caught off guard by my first vision. It did come in handy though.' Alice.
'Could you imagine being able to do that? A power like that though takes away from the fun of curiosity.' Jasper.
'Does that happen whenever he sees something or just when he thinks about it and what it might be made of. I don't think I could stand my brain filling with random information about something I didn't really want to know about.' Rose.
'All of that knowledge, even with our minds it seems like it would be so much to go through.' Esme.
'He can gather all of that information just by looking at the object. It's hard to believe that a gift like that actually exists.' Carlisle.
My family's thoughts summoned it up. Grandpa Ray was extremely powerful, but none of us would want that gift.
Bella picked up the information box. "He can look at raw materials and figure out what they can make. No one knows how it happens it just does. He has a hard time explaining this. Basically he sees, then he knows. It is weird, and also dangerous."
'She did just fine with her explanation.' Esme.
'Dangerous is an understatement. His powers in the wrong hands could spell disaster for the world.' Jasper.
'It would be cool to be able to build anything you want.' Emmett.
'How would he deal with all of that information? If everything he looks at gives him everything there is to know about it, wouldn't his mind be constantly flooded with facts?' Rose.
'Grandpa Ray's power could mold the future into whatever he wanted. He could advance technology in minutes.' Alice.
'It's true that the information he has could be dangerous in the wrong hands, but it could also be beneficial to helping the world.' Carlisle.
Carlisle had a point. If Grandpa Ray could use all the information he gathers to help the world, he could probably eliminate so many problems. Cures could be found for all of the health problems in the world. Means of travel could be made safer, driving down the possibility of accidents. The list was limitless of what could be done.
Bella sighed. "His power has sparked interest all over the planet and in all three worlds."
'The Undermining no doubt are after him too. If Aro's heard of him then he'd definitely want to meet him.' Carlisle.
'I could name a few power hungry people who would love to have his power.' Jasper.
'How exactly does the human world now of him? Rumors? Legends? Myths?' Alice.
'All three?' Emmett.
'That makes sense, it would seem that a power like that would be hard to hide. People know of it, but he is able to keep it out of the hands of people who would abuse it.' Rose.
'That poor man.' Esme.
It's understandable how a rare gift like Grandpa Rays has been heard about all over the world. It wouldn't surprise me if someone from the human world had heard about or seen Grandpa Ray's information. It made me wonder if we knew any of the things Grandpa Ray had built.
Anna jumped; sitting up and wrapping her arms around her middle. She blushed as her stomach growled. Bella's stomach answered a second later with it's own cry of hunger. None of us beside Carlisle had spent much time around people who eats food. I glanced at the clock, it was surely passed an appropriate time for the evening meal. I made a quick mental note to never forget again.
'How inconsiderate, we've kept them from dinner.' Rose.
'I can't believe little Anna's stomach could make a noise that loud.' Emmett.
'Poor Anna, she's embarrassed. If we're going to take care of them we can't forget their needs.' Jasper.
'Esme has some stuff so she can whip something up quickly for them, not that that changes the fact we shouldn't have forgotten in the first place.' Alice.
'We've been so focused on talking that we forgot that they need to eat.' Carlisle.
"I'll get you two some dinner." Esme hurried to the kitchen to make something quickly for Bella and Anna. 'We have a reason to use the Kitchen now. I'm so excited.'
Bella tried to get up but from Esme's thoughts I knew she wanted to do this for Bella and Anna.
"She can still hear from the kitchen. This way we can get through more questions." I explained softly.
I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face when she leaned back and rested her head against my shoulder. "Alright, next question."
All eyes turned to Carlisle, letting him take the lead with the questions. "Are your parents mortal or Immortal?"
"Everyone from the other world are immortal, except for the Hunters."
'That explains so much.' Emmett.
"The Undermining took away the hunters immortality when they separated themselves from the Undermining."
'Taking away someone's immortality just because the refuse to join you. That is just cruel.' Rose.
"Not long after, the Rebellion destroyed the device that could take away immortality from the people of the other world."
It was a good thing that the Undermining couldn't take away anyone else's immortality. That's one less thing that we have to worry about. I glanced over at Anna who was still embarrassed that her stomach was growling. We'd get to keep her, Cissy, and Bella forever.
'At least they were able to destroy the device. And it actually is a little easier knowing that the Hunters aren't immortal.' Jasper.
'The Hunters got what they deserved, even if it was for an unfit reason.' Esme.
'If the Undermining had a device like that nowadays I would think they'd just take away the Rebellion's immortality.' Carlisle.
"Why would you even have a device like that?" 'If you were born with immortality how would it be fair for you leaders to take it away from you?' Alice struggled to come up with a reason that wouldn't be cruel.
Bella shrugged one shoulder. "When the other world was just the original group, they used it to banish people who broke the rules. They would also use it to let people give up their immortality. If they fell in love with someone who was mortal. The other world doesn't have a way to make people immortal so their people have to become mortal to join the people they love."
The other world had it easy. Once a vampire, there's no way to go back to being human.
'The other world when it was whole, seemed to have a firm grasp on what this planet really needs. Caring leaders who'd give their people what they want given the circumstance, but strict enough to follow through with the needed discipline.' Carlisle.
'It's nice that they could change so they could be with the one they loved.' Esme.
'That's too bad that they had to give up their immortality, but at least it was for the right reason.' Emmett.
'The consequences of breaking the rules in the other world was so life altering. I wonder how many people were ever banished.' Rose.
'The rulers of the other world before the Undermining seemed fair.' Jasper.
'Okay, that makes since.' Alice thought about it for exactly one second before nodding happily.
'I wonder.' Emmett glanced thoughtfully at Bella. "So if your family is immortal, were they the original people who helped start the Rebellion?"
The very idea seemed crazy, but then again so did the fact that I was over a hundred years old.
Bella shook her head, and I got the feeling that she was going to only give enough information to answer the question. There would be no elaboration when it came to her family. "No, they might not be able to die of old age but they can die. They can still get sick, and hurt, and other human problems can cause their deaths."
Emmett nodded, before asking his next question. "So when do they stop aging? Your dad doesn't look like he's not aging."
He was on a role with asking the questions we all wanted to know, it was almost as if he were the mind reader.
Bella surprised us by laughing. "You have to remember it isn't the same immortality that you guys have. They don't stop aging."
'So they just keep getting older?' Alice's thoughts were filled with horror.
Rose's weren't much better. 'I think I actually prefer not aging to continuing to age for all eternity.'
"Once you become an adult you have the ability to change your age. You can go back to any age you've already been."
'Oh thank goodness,' Rose and Alice relaxed with relief.
"My great grandfather didn't change his age at all. The night before he was supposed to turn a hundred and one he went to bed, and the next day he woke up as an eighteen year old."
"That is so cool." Bella laughed at Emmett's excitement.
"Did you ever get to meet the family members who did help start the Rebellion?" He asked before the rest of us could order our thoughts to ask a question.
"No." Bella once again, wasn't elaborating on the family who started the Rebellion. I had feeling she wouldn't talk about them for a long while, if ever.
'There's got to be a story about them, and she doesn't want to tell it.' Alice.
'Bella's getting upset. We need to change the subject.' Jasper.
'This conversation can be left for a later date. There are more important things to discuss before they need to leave.' Carlisle.
'There's got to be something about the members who started the Rebellion that is hard for her to talk about.' Rose.
'So she didn't meet them, does that mean they all had died?' Emmett.
'Bella shouldn't have to talk about her family if she doesn't want to. Edward change the subject.' I didn't get a chance to fulfill Esme's request.
"So what exactly did your family do in the Rebellion?" Rose decided to change the topic from the older generation to the newer generation of Bella's family. I doubted Bella wanted to talk about them either.
It was clear by her voice that she didn't. "My family worked with the younger generation for the most part. Helping teach them the old way, make sure they understood the reasons why we do what we do."
'Sounds like parenting.' Rose.
'Making sure the traditions live on.' Carlisle.
"Some of my cousins worked on other stuff too. Toby worked with the family and a small selection of other people, helping them with their powers. He was always careful of who he trusted."
'It would be fun to help teach children to use their powers.' Alice
'If only he had been a little more careful, if such a thing is even possible. Then maybe we would have met on better circumstances.' Esme.
"A few others would work with security to help with the Rebellion's protection."
'Were there others in Bella's family with Anna's powers, or did they have other powers to help with security? It would be awesome to work with the Rebellion.
'It would be interesting to see just what the Rebellion has for protective measures.' Jasper.
Bella shrugged. "We all tended to help out in the different sections when it was needed. When we could offer our help and knowledge."
The Rebellion acts like a family. Everyone pitches in when they could. If the Rebellion was anything like the way the other world was like before the Undermining took over, than the other world was the real deal. The example that the rest of the world needed.
'We need to stop, Bella needs to think about something else.' Jasper warned me, before changing topics. "What are the different jobs in the Rebellion?"
Bella started listing them off for us. "Security and protection there is a difference. Finding transitional creatures, recruiting in all three worlds. Teaching our history, how to use powers, how to use the different tech we use, and survival skills, all things the younger generation should really know. There's the people who try to keep watch and keep the other two worlds in line, keeping up the original job of the third world. And of course there are the soldiers, people who solely work on bringing down the Undermining."
The Rebellion sure has made it possible for everyone to have a job that they would enjoy.
'Rosie would work with the tech, Jasper could help with survival skills. Alice could help with the original job, and Carlisle can help keep the traditions and history. Esme would be definitely working with the younger generation. Edward can help find transitional creatures, and I'd help bring down the Undermining.' Emmett.
'Wonder what the difference between security and protection is.' Jasper.
'There's practically a group for any and everyone who wants to help. What is Emmett up to?' Alice.
'It would be interesting to see exactly how the Rebellion works. How each job works together and functions as a team.' Carlisle.
'Maybe one day soon we'll get to meet some of the other members. It would be nice to have some help keeping Bella safe.' Esme
'Hearing about all the different jobs, helps me get a better feel for how large the Rebellion. It seems huge, but then again Bella did say the Undermining was bigger.' Rose.
"So," Emmett was grinning in anticipation, "how do you join the Rebellion?"
Bella obviously realized he was joking. "You make friends with someone who can vouch for you, or you can just go through the recruitment process."
None of us got a chance to ask what the recruiting process was like.
Esme walked in with Bella and Anna's dinner. It smelled awful but the two of them didn't complain, so it must smell fine to them. "How exactly do the people of the other world keep our world and the human world in line?" She asked after handing Bella her plate of spaghetti.
I let Bella go so she could sit and use the coffee table to eat at. She sat down across from Anna and answered Esme's question.
"The other world has ways to keep track of the other two worlds. It's part of their abilities, since it is their purpose to watch over the other two worlds."
She took a bite before continuing her explanation. "The other world is like the police force of the three worlds. But they only step in to handle a situation when it becomes critical, when whoever is causing trouble in one of the worlds has gone too far. If it isn't critical, we leave the situation to be handled by the appropriate people in that world."
That sounded fair. It also explained why only a few of our kind knew about the Rebellion. The Volturi guard steps in when vampires have broken any of their laws, so the Rebellion wouldn't be needed.
'It's creepy to think that someone could possibly be watching us at any given time.' Rose.
'I don't know what to think about being monitored by strangers. Do they see everything we do, or what?' Emmett.
'Well, it's not like we choose the police officers in the human world. And it doesn't sound like the Rebellion abuses their powers, so that's good.' Alice.
'It doesn't really sound like the Rebellion steps in too often. There must not be very many critical situations.' Jasper.
'I think I would have compared them to the FBI or Homeland Security rather than the police.' Esme.
'We've only just began to learn about the other world and their kind, but I can't help but wonder how many times they've stepped in and taken care of a problem in one of the other two worlds. Since we hadn't heard of them until now, we may have never noticed them.' Carlisle.
Bella sighed. "It makes it harder now that we have to police so many people from our own world. Obviously we're struggling with the Undermining, but it's only slightly easier to deal with the Hunters."
"Speaking of Hunters," we had finally gotten back to the topic I had wanted to start with. "How do you tell who is a hunter?"
Bella took another bite before answering. "Hunters are difficult, but at the same time they really aren't. If you can find their sign, then you definitely know you're dealing with a hunter. Their facial expressions is the best way to tell who is a hunter though. Their facial expressions give them away most of the time. They're easy to read."
"Will I be able to read their thoughts, or do they have mental shields too?" I asked.
Bella blushed suddenly. I couldn't figure out what could have caused that reaction. "You'll have no trouble reading their thoughts. In fact now that I think about it, you and Jasper will have an easy time figuring out who are hunters." She answered once she had gotten over her latest embarrassment.
"What do you mean?" Jasper asked, intrigued.
"Once a hunter has started the hunt he won't give up until he wins or he dies. Their focus becomes fixed on the job at hand, and nothing can get them to stop in mid hunt, they go to the end, even if they know it's their end."
"You can't say they're not dedicated," Emmett tried to lighten the mood in the room again. It was a good try.
Jasper called out to me in his thoughts. 'This will put the odds in our favor.'
I had to agree. Our powers would easily pick the Hunters out of the humans in the area.
Jasper continued sending his thoughts to me. 'We'll be able to keep track of anyone who gets close to Bella. We'll just have to have precautions for when Bella isn't with us.'
Like I was going to let Bella out of my sight now. She and the little girls weren't going anywhere without at least one of us with them. And I knew at least Rose would agree with me.
"So, are the hunters invisible?" Emmett's question caught Jasper's attention and he and I waited for Bella to answer.
She had an eyebrow raised in confusion as she stared at Emmett. "No. Any reason why you would think so?"
Esme, who had been wondering the same thing, answered. "It just seems that no one notices them. We're just trying to figure out why people don't realize what the Hunters are? You already said that the Hunters don't follow any rules. So what happens when they're seen by humans?"
Bella nodded in understanding. "The Hunters don't follow any rules, but when they are caught or seen by humans, they just seem like any other murderer. But then again, they don't get caught very often. They are really good at going unnoticed."
I blocked out the rest of my family's thoughts as Jasper started our one sided conversation again.
'The Hunters may not follow any rules, but we'll still have to follow ours.'
That was extremely true. We couldn't risk exposure.
'But if they can go unnoticed, then so can we. We'll just have to be careful. We'll have the upper hand, I'm sure. If they give in to the hunt even if they know it can lead to their deaths, then that might mean we can use that to get them to make mistakes. The more we know the better.'
I nodded and tuned back into the normal conversation; knowing I hadn't missed anything. "What did you mean by finding their sign, Bella?"
Bella held up her hands, creating the shape of a small square. "The sign is what the Hunters use to track their prey. Usually it isn't too hard to find the sign since most wear them attached to their belts. The more dangerous ones hide their sign though.
'If most wear them at their belt that will make it easier on us. But even if we can't find their signs we'll be able to find them by their thoughts and emotions.' Jasper.
'It doesn't sound like we'll have trouble finding the Hunters. It would be so much easier if we had a way to track them though.' Emmett.
'We're going to have to keep a closer eye on Bella. We can't let her or the little girls out of our sight.' Rose.
'Whoever created the signs, never should have.' Alice.
'If only there was a way to block the signs.' Esme.
'Even with all we've learned so far, it sounds like we can find the Hunters before they can get to Bella. As long as we keep a close watch.' Carlisle.
The Hunters may have their signs that allow them to track transitionals creature, but I fully agreed with Jasper and Carlisle. We could deal with them, and we would. "So they use their sign to track you, how can we track them?" Hopefully I had managed to keep the anger out of my voice.
Bella shared a glance with Anna, before the little one took another bite. Anna pointed to herself. "I'm the tracker. I'll sense danger from Hunters. I'll know then you'll know."
I turned from Anna to Bella. "You can track the Hunters using Anna's powers, what about the Undermining?"
"Hey, no jumping topics." Emmett made a point of playing up his complaint to get Anna to laugh.
Bella rolled her eyes at him, a small smirk pulled at her lips. "Yes, that's how we track all danger."
"After Anna lets us know when a Hunter is around, we'll be able to use our powers to find them." Jasper spoke out loud for the others' benefit, before turning back to ask another important question. "How do we fight the Hunters though?"
"Skill," Anna replied before Bella could.
Jasper turned to her. "How do we fight them?" 'Anna obviously knows quite a bit about all of this too. Far too responsible than a normal child, but I have to think that it's normal for her kind.'
I had to agree.
Anna flashed a proud smile at Jasper. "Hunters fight with skill. They think then attack."
Emmett laughed silently and turned to me. "They think then attack."
It was definitely obvious that the hunters wouldn't be too hard for me to at least find. It didn't seem that they'd be too hard to fight either. My ability to read their minds would be beneficial.
My musing was interrupted by Bella's soft laughter. It paused suddenly and I turned my focus back to Bella who was staring at the empty spot of the coffee table where her plate had been before Esme had taken it back to the kitchen. Bella must not have seen her take it.
Esme returned with an unopened bottle of water. "I'm sorry I didn't think of asking if you were thirsty."
"No problem, thank you for dinner, and the water." Bella took a drink of the water.
"So fighting the Hunters is simply about having better skills than them?" I asked hopefully, sitting back on the couch.
Bella sat down beside me. "You have to be careful about their powers. The tools they use to get rid of transitional creatures shouldn't hurt you, but certain powers might."
We could watch out for powers, that wouldn't be too hard.
'It sounds like we'd do just fine against the Hunters.' Emmett.
'As long as we don't let ourselves make mistakes, I think we can handle the Hunters.' Rose.
'You should be able to find out if any of the Hunters have a gift since you can read their minds.' Alice.
'With all of us working together and our added gifts and skills, we should be able to keep Bella safe from the Hunters.' Jasper.
'We will have to be careful.' Esme.
'Sometime we'll need to go into a more detailed discussion about the Hunters. I think Charlie should be here for that though.'
I nodded acknowledging my father's thought. "What about the Undermining, how do you know if someone belongs to that group?"
"The Undermining, are a whole lot easier to read. You'll know them when you see them."
How was that supposed to help?
'Does Bella really think that's helpful?' Rose.
'Oh yes the comforting 'you'll know it when you see it'. That's never helpful.' Emmett.
'Come on Bella, really. You can do better than that.' Alice.
'That is next to useless for us.' Jasper.
'What does that mean? Will we really be able to tell just by looking at them?' Esme.
'I dread the day when we meet a member of the Undermining. If we'll know them when we see them, then their evil ways have become a mask upon their face.'
I mentally shuddered at the picture Carlisle had created of the Undermining. I rubbed circles in the back of Bella's hand that I had unconsciously grabbed at some point.
Bella took our silence as permission to continue. "One way to be sure is a birthmark on their lower right arm. The people of the other world who were in charge of keeping the other worlds in line were born with the mark, they also have all the powers that were given to handle the different situations. The mark can't be covered completely. If something is covering it can still somewhat be seen through the covering."
Bella's mind was absolutely baffling. Why she didn't start with that, I didn't know.
Carlisle laughed gently. 'Bella does seem to have an interesting way of giving information. Another reason why I think it would be easier to have a more detailed discussion with her father present.'
'The most important details should really be told first. Bella must have had a reason to how she ordered her information.' Esme.
'She really should have started with the more descriptive information first.' Rose.
'A birthmark we can look for. It's better than second guessing if we're seeing what we're supposed to.' Alice.
'Now that's more like it Bella.' Emmett.
Jasper was thinking of shaking his head in exasperation. "You really should have started your explanation with that, Bella."
Bella shook her head. "Not really, because people in the Rebellion have that mark too, I was completely serious when I said you'll know a member of the Undermining when you see them."
'Well that's just great.' Emmett.
'If members of the Rebellion have that mark too, it's going to make it harder to figure out what side they are on.' Alice.
'We're going to have to rely on our gifts to help us figure out who is a part of the Undermining.' Jasper.
'At least Anna will be able to sense of someone is dangerous. And surely Jasper and Edward's powers can pin point members of the Undermining like they will with the Hunters.' Rose.
'So the mark is actually useless to us. That's why Bella didn't start with it, which means we really will know them by seeing them.' Esme.
'Interesting. The mark is like a brand, in the other world.' Carlisle.
Okay, so the birthmark wasn't going to be very helpful to find the Undermining. Bella was sure we'd know them when we saw them, so that had to be true; even if I didn't really think it would be. I could trust her though.
"Is fighting the Undermining all about skill too?" I asked hopefully.
Bella smiled. "Most fights are about skill. Strategy is the best skill to have when fighting the Undermining though.
'You don't say.' Alice and Jasper thought at the same time.
'I can handle strategy.' Jasper.
Emmett who had been waiting patiently to ask a question that had been bothering him for a while, finally got to ask. "Hey Bella, when you said your family knew the Undermining would want your powers what did you mean. I mean how did they know?"
Bella surprised us by chuckling. "Isn't it kind of obvious? Who wouldn't want someone who is the ultimate defense? Theoretically my powers can stop any attack."
Theoretically could become for certain quickly, and the Undermining surely knew that. All Bella's powers would need is training. If Bella really worked with her shields she'd definitely be the ultimate defense.
'So Bella really could be the ultimate defense.' Jasper.
'Bella's powers are so useful, and yet they bring her danger.' Rose.
'They won't ever get Bella's powers. We'll stop them.' Alice.
'After everything we've heard, I still can't figure out why Bella would be so determined to do this on her own. Then again…' Esme blocked her thoughts from me.
'I wonder if Grandpa Ray would have a way to get passed Bella's shields.' I was caught by surprised at Carlisle's silent musing. 'If he does, the Undermining would want him more than Bella, but if not, Bella becomes even more useful to them.'
'No one is going to get my sister's powers.' Emmett thoughts rang with protectiveness. "That makes sense," he eventually declares.
"So why can't the Undermining find you here in Washington?" Alice was just as excited to ask her question. She bounced in her seat.
"Because, her dad's here." Anna got up and gave her bowl to Esme before smiling at my sister.
Alice turned to Bella looking confused.
"My family put up precautions to help keep me safe. Don't laugh," She glared pointedly at Emmett. "There is magic on this planet, and one of my cousins could use it. Thanks to her gift, I'm safe from the Undermining in whatever state my dad lives in."
I don't see why magic couldn't exist, vampires do.
'Now that is what I call useful. Whoever came up with that idea did an excellent job.' Alice.
'Awe man, it would be so cool to meet someone who could use magic. We could have a blast pranking people.' Emmett.
'Could you imagine what all magic could do for the world? If only it could be used amongst the humans.' Rose.
'What an ingenious idea.' Jasper.
'If Bella is safe in whatever state her dad is in, why wasn't she living with him?' Esme.
'Bella's family was definitely powerful.' Carlisle.
"What were the other precautions, if you don't mind telling us," Esme, always polite, added the last part just in case Bella didn't want to talk about it.
Bella didn't seem to mind. "The first one was probably the most difficult. My parents split."
One single question rang in my head. How would that have helped?
Bella glanced down at her hands, refusing to meet any of our gazes. "My parents were mates, but because of their powers they knew their first born would inherit both of their powers, and the Undermining would want them."
'So the firstborns inherit their parents' powers?' Carlisle.
'That's terrible that they weren't able to stay together.' Alice.
Bella shrugged, nonchalantly; she was trying to hide the pain she was in talking about this. "You can't fight the mating bond though, eventually it will bring you together. So the inevitable happened and I was born. As parents it was there job to protect me, and the best way to do that was to separate."
'Oh Bella you shouldn't feel bad, parents will do anything to protect their child.' Esme.
'It's a parent's job to protect their kid. Bella's parents knew how to be great parents. And I can tell her dad is awesome.' Emmett.
"They were only able to fight the pull of the mate bond knowing that it was protecting me. It was the backup plan. If you lost one you still had the other."
'Bella obviously has deep grief about her parents needed split.' Jasper.
Her parents chose to split up to protect Bella, she shouldn't feel like it was her fault since they made the choice. Why they thought it was a good idea was a mystery to me.
"With Melissa's magic it was actually the best plan, because they can't find me here."
'Bella would have been safer with both of her parents, instead of just one.' Rose hugged Cissy. She aimed her shock at Bella. "How could that have been the best plan?"
Bella's next words were filled with regret. "Members of the other world give off an energy signal, it's how they find each other. And it's one of the useful tools the Undermining uses to attack the Rebellion. Since I'm a transitional I don't have an energy signal. Energy signals can show what type of powers someone has."
That explains why Bella's parents felt like they needed to separate.
'Their signals together would have led the Undermining right to Bella.' Jasper
'That is so not fair. The Undermining doesn't even have to try to hurt Bella. They've already hurt her, her family had to split up to protect her.' Emmett.
'The Undermining needs to pay. They've hurt Bella, but also her parents. Poor Charlie had to be away from his true love all this time, just to lose her.' Rose.
'I can't stand this. Bella feels responsible for too many things she couldn't have changed.' Esme.
'If Bella had an energy signal, then it wouldn't have mattered if her parents were together. I wonder if Bella's thought of that. It might be why she's determined to feel responsible for her parents split.' Carlisle.
'Poor Bella, and poor Charlie.' Alice nodded slowly, her eyes filled with sympathy. "So the Undermining could see both of your parents with their powers and they'd know where to find you."
"The uniqueness of the physical and mental shields being mates was the problem. When they weren't together it was harder to figure out which mental or physical shield the energy signal was."
I was getting sick of all the things that the other world had that the Undermining was abusing.
'If only there were more couples like Bella's parents. No wait, that wouldn't be a good thing, then there would be more kids like Bella and they'd all be in danger. That or they would willingly join the Undermining. That would be bad.' Emmett.
'I'm starting to think that the other world monitors too much. Really their just spying on everyone.' Rose.
'What is the point of checking where all of their people are. The other world shouldn't check energy signals. They're keeping tabs on their own people, and it's ruining lives.' Alice.
'Is there even a good reason why the other world checked energy signals?' Jasper.
'How is any of this fair?' Esme.
'It seems everything is just stacked against Bella.' Carlisle.
"And the other precautions?" Esme silently hoped we weren't pushing Bella to talk about this too soon. 'We have enough information about the Undermining and Hunters for now, maybe we should stop for the night.'
"Keeping my percentage down was one, and working with me and my physical shield was another." Bella glanced fondly at Anna. "Then of course there's the body guard. Someone in my family was always keeping an eye on me, I never went anywhere without them."
Curiosity got the better of me. "Who was your last body guard?"
Bella stiffened and her arms wrapped around her middle tightly. I gently squeezed her hand to comfort her. She didn't seem to notice. Obviously I had a crossed a line in our questioning.
Jasper sent out an alarming amount of calm throughout the room. 'This is intense. How can someone survive this much pain?'
Esme and Carlisle's both debated getting up to try to comfort Bella.
Alice's heart was breaking for her new friend. 'Maybe we should stop for the night. I don't know how much I can take of this.'
I was pulled into Rose's thoughts when she remembered the car ride over to our house. She had been talking with Bella about Anna and Cissy's dad, Toby. Bella had wrapped her arms around herself exactly like she was doing now. I guess that answered my question. Her cousin Toby had to have been her last body guard.
Emmett thankfully took a chance and tried to lighten the mood in the room again. "So what makes Anna qualified to be a body guard? Clearly I'd be the better choice."
It seemed to work since Bella glanced up at him.
"Of course I'm the body guard," Anna announced, sitting up proudly. "My powers make me perfect for the job."
Something about Anna's comment made Bella laugh. I didn't understand but I was thankful that she was no longer trying to hold herself together.
"Just curious, why does she already have powers. You said you and the rest of your family got your powers when you were ten?" Jasper spared a glance at Bella before turning to Anna.
We all turned to Anna as Bella explained. "Toby was a direct descendent along what we call the legacy line; the first born son of the first born son. Anyone whose dad is part of the legacy line, will get their powers earlier."
'That explains it.' Carlisle.
'Does that mean Cissy already has powers too?' Esme.
'I wonder when Cissy's powers will show up. She can't already have them yet; can she?' Rose.
Jasper turned back to Bella. "So your family has powers because they're part of the other world right?"
Bella nodded.
'I really was born in the wrong world.' Emmett.
'Having the power would be cool, but I don't think living in the other world would have been very fun.
"And those powers are difficult to handle."
Bella was surprised by Jasper's statement. "Why would you say that?"
Jasper shrugged his shoulder off handedly. "It was a guess, since you said you had trouble with your mental shield." 'It makes since that she wouldn't be the only one who has problems with her powers. It wouldn't be normal if she didn't have trouble.'
I tried not to laugh at Bella's face. He mouth was open slightly, forming a small o.
It took her a little bit to answer Jasper. "Yes it is difficult to control our powers. It's easier for me to use my physical shield because it is controlled by my emotions. My mental shield is controlled by my subconscious, that makes it a little harder for me to use."
'That doesn't make sense.' Jasper thought critically. "Weren't you practicing with your mental shield though?"
Jasper and I were surprised by the feeling of regret coming from Bella.
"Not really, I worked on my physical shield, since it was easier to use, and control. My mind isn't strong enough at the moment to handle both of my shields. Since my mental shield can protect me without me having to do anything to it, training my physical shield seemed to be the right thing to do."
I had to say, I was grateful for the insight to Bella's thoughts; though I wish I could take away her pain. Or get her to see reason.
'If she could only train one at a time it makes sense for her to have trained her physical one, when her mental one naturally protects her.' Carlisle.
'Bella is far too hard on herself.' Esme.
'Bella needs to sit down and think long and hard about how she did everything she could, and she shouldn't regret what she couldn't do or change.' Alice.
'I don't understand, if she could only work with one, why wouldn't she use her physical one, the other one worked without her doing anything. She'd get to use both of them at the same time.' Emmett.
'It's going to take us a while before we can get Bella to see things from our perspective. Once she does though it shouldn't take us long to convince her that she didn't do anything wrong.' Rose.
'Bella regrets not training her mental shield, but I think they did the right thing.' "Makes sense," Jasper tried to reassure Bella that we all thought she made the right choice. "How exactly do you train your shields?"
Bella grabbed her ring from her pocket and tossed it to Jasper, who caught it effortlessly. "The ring helps me get a better feel for my shields. If I wear it can control my powers, but I can still take control of them. When I get more comfortable with my powers I won't need to use the ring to help me train."
'I doubt Bella will need her ring for very long. I'm sure once Bella really works with her shields she won't need it.' I couldn't tell if Alice's trust in Bella was genuine, or just wishful thinking so she wouldn't have to deal with not being able to see Bella.
'So it actually controls her powers? That's so weird.' Rose.
'That little thing is quite useful.' Esme.
Emmett snatched the ring from Jasper. "If this blocks their powers from working on you, why does Anna's powers work with you?"
"That would be because I can program my ring to allow my body guard's power to work on me." As Bella explained, we all watched Anna's smirk grow.
'Wonder if Alice will ask to be Bella's body guard just so her powers will work when Bella wears her ring.' Emmett.
'That's actually a good idea, just in case something happens with Bella's shield, then at least someone won't be blocked.' Jasper.
'Her ring is far more powerful then I had originally thought. But now I'm not sure if it's magical. I think it's simply a technological device from the other world.' Carlisle.
"Speaking of Anna's powers, could you explain what we were feeling when Anna was showing Edward there wasn't any danger around?" Jasper's thoughts grew with excitement. 'I've never heard of anyone with Anna's gift. It's different to say the least, but remarkably similar to mine.'
Anna hurriedly went back to reading a picture book, making us all laugh silently. She didn't want to explain her own powers.
Bella laughed sweetly. "Well since there wasn't any danger or anything really to show him, you guys just felt a void, it was nothing, just calm."
That definitely explained what I had felt.
'I'm going to have to learn all these different sensations. It'll be interesting to compare them to the emotions I feel.' Jasper.
'I can already see that Jasper's going to enjoy learning about Anna's powers. He'll really be able to help her with them.' Alice.
'I think we're going to have an easier time with Anna's powers than Bella's. What with them being so much like Jasper's.' Emmett.
'It will be nice for Jasper to get to work with Anna. The two of them can work together with the gifts.' Esme.
'Anna's gift is quite a different spin on Jaspers. The two together though would make quite a team.
'Anna's powers sound amazing, but there's something I just don't understand.' Rose took her gaze away from the sleeping baby in her arms and glanced at Bella. "Okay, from my understanding of Anna's powers, wouldn't she have picked up on the betrayal of your family?"
Images flashed in my mind, of children running around playing happily. Anna was remembering that night, and from her thoughts I knew she was upset. She had her head bowed.
Rose's thoughts turned remorseful.
"It's okay Rosalie," Bella tried to reassure my sister. "You see Anna did pick up on the betrayal."
But if that was true, wouldn't the Rebellion take care of the traitor?
'Why was nothing done then?' Emmett.
'Even knowing who the traitor was didn't help them.' Rose.
'Who ever betrayed them is about to be hunted down by a group of extremely angry vampires.' Jasper.
'Does that mean they already took care of the traitor?' Esme.
'If the person who betrayed them hasn't been punished yet, we'll soon rectify that.' Carlisle.
'That is messed up. They knew and he wasn't punished.' Alice growled ferociously in anger. "You know who betrayed you?"
I glared at my sister, wrapping my arms protectively around Bella as she fearfully pressed herself into my side.
'Alice!' Carlisle and Esme reprimanded silently. She got the message though and relaxed.
Bella eventually relaxed too. "No, we don't know who betrayed us."
She hurried to explain after seeing our confusion. "That night Anna's powers were absorbing too much information. She can't recall all the things she felt that night, there's too much for her to sort through. Her dad would help her sort through it all, but it isn't something she can do by herself, she's too young."
So it would seem Anna's powers work constantly. How did she handle it all?
'How does she sort through everything?' Esme.
'How could her dad help her sort through all of the information? Did he have her power too? It didn't sound like it.' Alice.
'Maybe Jasper will be able to help Anna sort through everything.' Rose.
'Talk about being overwhelmed. How does she deal with all of that stuff, she's so little?' Emmett.
'So if we wish to find the traitor, we'll have to find a way to help Anna sort through everything she felt that night. That is if she is even able to deal with the task.' Carlisle.
'I know what it's like to feel overwhelmed. Poor Anna, she has the information we need, but no way to get to it. Maybe there's something we can do about that.' Jasper.
Esme glanced at the little girls lovingly. "Why would someone want to betray your family?" She asked, not realizing she had spoken her thought out loud.
Bella shrugged. She glanced up at the clock.
'We kept them longer than we should have.' "You need to get home don't you?" Carlisle stood and one by one we all followed.
Alice took Bella's ring from Emmett and bounced to Bella's side. "We'll see you tomorrow morning. Bring your appetites, Esme makes awesome pancakes."
Bella put her ring on. "I'll take your word on that, Alice."
Rose put Cissy in her carrier and handed it and Bella's keys to me. I watched and almost laughed at the stubbornness on Bella's face. I could tell she wanted to argue, but much to my surprise, she didn't. She quickly told my family goodbye as I put the girls in the car. I held her door open for her and quickly dashed to the driver's side.
Authors Note
Hey everyone, I can't believe how long it took me to get this chapter exactly how I wanted it. I'm sorry that I tried to be a perfectionist, but I don't like uploading chapters that aren't what I want. So I apologize for the long wait. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.
What did you guys think about the Cullen's thoughts during the second half of their meeting with Bella? Did it live up to your expectations?
Next chapter is going to be exciting we will be in Chicago. Any requests for point of views? I can already tell you that there will be three different point of views next chapter.
P.S. Just wanted to let you know that November is going to be crazy for me. There are a lot of things that will be going on next month, but, there will definitely be more than one chapter posted during the month.
Until next time watch out for Hunters,
LiveLifeAuthorStyle